Trump to stop in Tupelo for Hyde-Smith
President Donald Trump will return to Mississippi on Monday to stump for U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a day before she faces Democratic challenger Mike Espy in a runoff for the Senate seat.
Trump will make a pair of stops in the state Monday — first, a 5 p.m. rally in Tupelo, followed by an 8 p.m. stop in Biloxi, according to his campaign.
Trump’s last Mississippi stop was in early October, when he campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Southaven in the midst of an FBI investigation and national furor over Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh.
Since then, Kavanaugh took his seat on the high court bench, Democrats gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives while Republicans maintained their majority in the Senate, and Hyde-Smith has been under fire for a “public hanging” comment.
Hyde-Smith has been dealing with backlash for weeks after a video emerged showing her at a campaign stop praising a friend by saying, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.”
The video went viral, and critics have said it evokes an image of the lynching of African-Americans. Espy, HydeSmith’s opponent, is African-American.
Trump defended Hyde-Smith this week, calling it a “shame that she has to go through this.”
“She made a statement, which I know that she feels really bad about it, and was just sort of said in jest,” Trump said.
Hyde-Smith apologized for the comments Tuesday during a debate with Espy, but also said his campaign used them for political gain.
Trump’s first stop on Monday will be at the Tupelo Regional Airport, while the second will be at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, stumped for Espy in Jackson, Mississippi, on Saturday, where Espy told a group of Democratic women “not every woman is for women.”
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to temporarily fill the Senate seat in April, and Espy each took roughly 41 percent of the vote on Nov. 6. Voters will decide the winner on Tuesday.
Republican Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith earlier this year to fill the Senate seat after Sen. Thad Cochran’s resignation. The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will serve out the remaining two years of that term.
Trump stumps in Mississippi
Trump’s Tupelo stop is slated for 5 p.m. at the Tupelo Regional Airport, 101 Lemons Drive. Doors open at 2 p.m. Those planning to attend can register online at www.donaldjtrump. com/rallies/. The Biloxi stop is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, 2350 Beach Blvd.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Jamie Munks covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jamie.munks@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2536. Follow her on Twitter @journo_jamie_.